Looking for a Third-Party Display for an Apple Mac Mini M4

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  sumyungguy on 14/06/2025 - 17:36

  I have an iMac 27-inch 5K and a Mac mini M1 with a 4K Dell; the Apple 5K display is clearly superior but it comes down to your use case. Also, if you're getting a 32-inch for the first time make sure you can sit far enough away to use it comfortably.

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  p1 ama on 14/06/2025 - 18:45

  Not sure what you're trying to ask, as it seems like it's a bit of a muddled wall of text - but trying to help with the broader question of displays for macOS.

  The issue I think you're facing, and it's widely recognised, is that macOS is atrocious at display scaling.

  You're basically left with two options - either you get a display where you won't need any scaling (i.e. you'll just render 1:1), the ideal sizes would either be a 27" 2560x1440, or 34" 3440x1440. At this resolution, you'll have crisp fonts and UI elements. Or, you'll need to get a 5K display.

  If you're going for 4K at 27" or 32", you'll need to apply some sort of a scale factor as the natively rendered elements will be too small. The issue with macOS is that it doesn't do non-integer scaling very well compared to Windows, and with 4K, the only integer scale available is 1920x1080 and a 2x scale. This will end up with UI elements that are too large. Basically all this means is that you'll get shaper UI elements vs. a 1080p display as you'll have 4 pixels representing 1 pixel (so curves are smoother…etc.), but you won't get any additional real estate.

  The only alternatives are - to do a non-integer scale on macOS at 4K, which would generally not look great, or to go with a 5K display, which is a native 2x scale based on 2560x1440. There are a limited number of 5K displays, but they are available. This is why Apple's Studio Display (and previously 5K iMac) are 5K.

  If this is all a bit too complex and you're happy with how your current 4K displays are rendering, then I wouldn't worry too much about it and just get 4K displays. That said, unless you're gaming, not sure if the move from 60Hz to 120Hz is worth it, given the Dell monitor is a pretty standard panel otherwise. Probably worth checking out the response times, given I think it's an IPS panel, and ghosting might negate a lot of the benefits you'll otherwise get with 120Hz.

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  codenamesharp on 14/06/2025 - 18:59

  I was using a HP Pavilion 27 Quantum Dot 27-inch 4K Monitor as a second screen for a 27 inch iMac, which was great at the time (2020) for $600 and looked brilliant next to the 5K (in my eyes).

  Last year I was OzBargained into adding a Dell 27-inch 4K S2722QC which I loved so much I bought a second one for a 3-screen setup and put the HP in the cupboard, intending to sell it off.

  A month ago purchased an M4 Mac mini and, being used to three screens (why have an attention span, right?) I'm now running the HP as the main screen and a Dell either side, and the Dells absolutely outshine in terms of colour and text. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, especially the model you're looking at which has the advantage of being able to daisy chain to free up valuable USBC port space.

  When I switch on the old iMac with Retina display, is it better? Yes, but not a massive difference.

  Do I love the Dells when I sit down to use the mini? Heck yeah, and I wish I had three. This may yet happen. :)

  Another suggestion, I had a bunch of external peripherals (scanner, blu-ray drive, three desktop drives) and found that a powered Tekera 7-Port USB 3.2/USB C hub has worked really well (for the three weeks I've had it) - no disconnecting stuff and it's again helped to free up valuable ports on the mini.

  Hope this helps, good luck with your purchasing!

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  Mostly Fanless on 14/06/2025 - 21:28

  +1

  I used to have 21.5 and 24-inch Retina displays, now I have a 4k 32-inch with non-integer scaling (Dell G3223Q sadly discontinued). I don't notice any problem with the scaling. (I'm not saying the lowered resolution is completely unnoticable but it doesn't bother me in practice.)